


Paralysis

by TriggerHappyChocobo



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Blood, Gen, Hurt, Injury, Not specifically Ignoct but can be read as, Paralysis, Status Effects
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-09
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-03-02 21:34:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13326813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TriggerHappyChocobo/pseuds/TriggerHappyChocobo
Summary: Noctis is paralyzed mid-battle and Ignis jumps in the line of danger to protect him.





	Paralysis

**Author's Note:**

  * For [elpsycongruent (Jarenth)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jarenth/gifts).



> A long-awaited fic as a gift for Elpsy ~ It's not quite Prompto angst, but since we're on an Ignis kick atm, I hope it'll suffice ;3

"Watch your step, there's daemons around the corner." Ignis whispered, putting his hand out to stop Noctis in his tracks.

The pair had been separated from the others a little while back - an unintentional split caused by an unstable platform giving way - but after confirming that the fall had left Prompto and Gladiolus uninjured, the group decided that splitting up to find the sealed dungeon was probably their fastest option. Not that they had a choice in the matter, but at least they had all been to the Daurell caverns before, so they had an accurate map of the area. After arranging a meeting place, the two teams split their search, promising to see each other in an hour.

"What do you suggest?" Noctis asked his trusted advisor.

"We're vastly outnumbered, I believe that sneaking through undetected would be our best option."

"Right. And if they see us?"

Ignis smirked. "Then we give them hell."

"Works for me." Noctis shrugged, moving closer to Ignis and following him into the shadows of the daemon infested area.

Luckily, the large horde of Skeletons were seemingly occupied by a rotting corpse from a poor garula that had probably wandered into the caverns and gotten lost. They had almost reached safety when the ground underneath them began to bubble, the telltale black ooze of an incoming daemon.

Noctis cursed under his breath, jumping back from the puddle of sludge and summoning his Engine Blade. 

"So much for that idea." He muttered, glancing towards the Skeletons, who had now been alerted to their presence by the brilliant blue glow of the armiger. 

"Indeed" said Ignis, Assassin's Daggers already in hand as he waited to see what they would be facing. A large Ronin appeared before them, sword glinting maliciously against the now-fading blue hue. Not the worst combatant they could have been greeted with, but still, a fight that would have been better avoided.

With a determined nod, the two men leapt into battle, putting as much distance between them and the Ronin as possible as they focused on slaying the Skeletons first.

Although they tried to stick as close to each other as possible, the swarm of Skeletons gradually managed to separate the pair, leaving them with their own individual battles. It was strenuous, but manageable, and things went smoothly as the enemies were taken down one by one.

What they didn't notice, as the lesser daemons preoccupied their attention, was that the Ronin was slowly approaching Noctis, arm outstretched as it cast a spell on the unaware Prince. He felt the familiar prickling of magic in the atmosphere, looking up at the source far too late to do anything about it. He cried out to Ignis, a frantic cry that got cut short as the effects of paralysis took over and froze him completely.

"NOCT!" Ignis shouted, pushing past the creatures he'd been fighting and barreling towards the Prince. Skeletons were already swarming Noctis, assaulting his defenseless body. He wanted to scream, to kick away the daemons, but all he could do was stand there, wide eyed in fear as they attacked him. 

Despite the bruises they were leaving, the Skeletons posed an insignificant threat compared to the Ronin. Ignis threw his daggers as he ran, in attempt to deter it from Noctis. The creature staggered upon impact, one striking it's chest and the other embedding into it's sword arm. But the daggers did nothing to halt it's attack, and Ignis could see this. He continued to run, colliding with the still paralyzed Noctis and knocking them both to the ground. 

With the Skeletons surrounding them and the Ronin looming threateningly above them, Ignis had no time to call back his weapons. Instead, he wrapped himself protectively around Noctis, covering him from head to toe with his own body. 

Noctis watched with horror as he realized that Ignis intended to take the attacks for him. Powerless, he begged the Astrals to do something - anything - to help them. But of course, the Astrals had never been that kind, and his pleas fell on deaf ears.

Skeletons hammered into the pair, seemingly trying to shift Ignis away, but he was determined not to let any harm befall his Prince. He scrunched his eyes shut and grit his teeth, resting his forehead against Noctis' as he waited for the imminent Ronin attack.

There was an eerie moment of calm; the smaller daemons had gone still and, asides from Ignis' heavy breathing, the cavern had gone quiet. 

The Ronin lifted it's katana, intending to skewer the pair below it, but the dagger in its arm prevented it from raising the weapon high enough. It screeched in frustration, lashing out at Ignis with a swift, aggressive swipe.

He choked back a cry as the weapon sliced into his back, cutting away clothes and flesh alike with alarming ease. But one swipe wasn't enough to satisfy it's anger, and it continued mercilessly assailing Ignis.

His cries soon became screams as the katana inflicted multiple deep, bloody lacerations against his back. He curled in tighter against Noctis, nails unwittingly clawing at the Prince's arms as he fought against the waves of white hot agony radiating from the many wounds.

He began to feel lightheaded, the mixture of pain and blood loss making it incredibly hard to stay awake.  

_'I can't lose consciousness now, I must protect Noct!'_ he thought, before slumping lifelessly on top of the Prince as the world around him faded to black.

 

* * *

 

 

Noctis' heart skipped a beat when Ignis had finally collapsed against him. Fearing the worst, he was both concerned and relieved to feel the erratic rise and fall of Ignis' chest; relieved because it meant he was still alive, but very worried about the ragged breathing pattern he had fallen into. 

He was glad for small mercies since the daemons appeared to have withdrawn shortly after Ignis had passed out, presumably because they had assumed the pair dead. 

Still unable to move, Noctis was left to dwell on what had happened, remembering in excruciating detail how Ignis had jerked at every new wound, each ear-splitting cry that had erupted from the throat of such a usually composed man, and all because of him.

He hoped more than anything that the others would find them soon. 

 

* * *

 

"Maybe they just got lost?" Prompto suggested, glancing anxiously at his watch. Ten minutes late. "I think we should go and look for them."

"You worry too much." Gladio told him, but didn't protest at the idea. Although it wasn't a great deal of time, everyone knows that Ignis is _never_ late. 

They headed down the path that the others were due to come from, hoping they would run into them along the way.

What they didn't expect to find was their companions laying in a heap on the ground surrounded by blood. 

Gladio swore loudly, rushing over to the fallen pair. He shrugged his jacket off and pressed it against the heavily bleeding gashes littering Ignis' back, pulling the man away from Noctis and looking for his pulse. Prompto leapt to Noctis' side, checking him over for wounds.

"He's awake, he's just paralyzed!" Prompto announced with relief, instantly noting the way Noctis' eyes were darting around the room. "How's Iggy?"

"Alive." Gladio let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he was holding, and instructed Prompto to search the armiger for curatives.

"W-We only have one potion and a remedy left!" Prompto squeaked, looking between his two injured friends and then settling his gaze on Gladio as if waiting for further instructions. 

"Shit..." Gladio pressed his jacket tighter against the bloody gashes on Ignis' back. Despite being unconscious, his jaw clenched at the action - something that made it even harder for Gladio to say what they were both reluctant to confirm. 

"We've got to prioritize Noct." he sighed, looking away from Ignis' pain-laced expression. "Use the Remedy and offer him the potion."

"But-" Prompto began to protest, but Gladio shot him a 'don't argue with me' look that made him back down instantly. 

He sat Noctis up and put the remedy in his hand, wrapping both of their fingers around it and crushing the bottle. 

Noctis' body buzzed as the negative status effects were slowly drawn out of him. His limbs twitched, muscles spasming slightly while the remedy worked it's magic.

"Back with us, buddy?" Prompto asked, getting a strained nod in reply. 

"I-Ign's-" he drawled, mouth not cooperating as he tried to form a coherent word. He attempted to move towards Ignis, but instead toppled haphazardly to the ground.

"Take it easy, Gladio's got Iggy under control." Prompto told him, sitting Noctis back up again "You need a potion?" 

Noctis shook his head, movement becoming easier with each second. 

"Ig'needs it more" 

Thankful to hear that, Gladio took the potion, carefully removing his coat and peeling Ignis' ruined shirt off of him. He removed the cap and poured the green liquid into the wounds, successfully stopping the bleeding and kick-starting the healing process. One potion was nowhere near enough to repair the damage, but at least it had gotten Ignis out of the danger zone.

"Let's get out of here. The sealed dungeon can wait." said Gladio, lifting Ignis as carefully as he could so he didn't aggravate his injuries any more. 

Prompto nodded in agreement, draping Noctis' arm around his shoulder and helping him walk until he could move on his own again.

* * *

 

When Ignis awoke, he was laying in the bed of a motel room, bundled beneath several blankets. He was wearing loose fitting clothes - clothes he recognized as Noctis' - and a brief moment of disorientation had him wondering what on Eos had happened.

It didn't take long until the events of the day came crashing back to him, and he was glad to note that the pain has subsided completely, although that wasn't his top priority.

"Noct? Are you alright?" He asked, sitting upright in a slight panic.

"Yeah Specs. I'm here, I'm alright." Came the Prince's voice from beside him. He turned to see Noctis sitting in a chair by his bedside with his phone on his lap, Kings Knight left neglected while he gave Ignis his full attention.

"Thank the Astrals for that" he sighed, visibly relaxing. "Where are Gladio and Prompto?" 

"Out on a hunt." Noctis informed him "There wasn't enough potions. The shop outside lent us a couple, but we didn't have the cash to pay it back completely." 

"I see."

A long silence settled between them. 

"So uhh, thanks, by the way. For, y'know..." Noctis trailed off, unable to find the words he was looking for; words that expressed the extreme gratitude, fear, guilt - everything he was feeling.

"No need to thank me; it's my duty to protect the crown Prince, after all."

"Don't say that!" Noctis snapped, startled slightly by the ferocity in his tone. He took a deep, shaky breath, and continued, calmer. 'I don't _want_ other people getting hurt in my place, especially not my friends!" Tears threatened to spill as he whispered, "My title shouldn't mean that you have to suffer!"

Ignis reached towards Noctis and brushed a tear from his cheek, moving his face so their eyes met. 

"My apologies, I appear to have worded that poorly." He said, "While I swore an oath to protect you, my loyalties lie deeper than that. I care about you, Noctis. Royalty or not, I would never hesitate to jump in the path of danger if it means keeping you safe."

Noctis laughed, an awkward, uncertain giggle that conveyed an underlying tone of sadness. 

"Did I say something amusing?"

"No no, it's just... You're the one who got hurt, and yet you're here reassuring me." Noctis hesitated, albeit only momentarily, before pulling Ignis into a tight hug, nestling his face into Ignis' hair. 

"Thank you, Iggy. For everything."

Ignis returned the embrace, smiling.

"Anytime, Noct."

**Author's Note:**

> Is this how Paralysis works? Nope! Can Ronins inflict it? Probably not! But hey, artistic liberties and all that ~ Thank you for reading! Sorry if there's any mistakes, I am v v tired. I'll check it through again tomorrow ^-^)/


End file.
